In June Tri County Baptist Church, The Villages, Florida, dedicated the start of its new church site on Rolling Acres Road, a half mile south of Route 466 in Lake County. The five-acre site will support the church’s first building phase: the construction of an 8,500 square-foot multipurpose building that will seat up to 380 people. This building will offer an additional 12 rooms for education, food preparation, child care, and offices. Site work has begun, and occupancy is planned for December.
To commence the ground breaking, Pastors J. O. Purcell and Steve Poludniak jointly stepped on the symbolic shovel. Then they led about 125 guests in prayer, singing, and a brief recounting of the past years’ activities that led to this long-awaited day. Al Carlson was thanked for his past and future services to Tri County Baptist as the chairman of the committee that oversees the building coordination duties. Ken Wagner attended the ground breaking with his son Adam Wagner, who has joined his father to start the third generation of Wagners in 
Leesburg to operate their company of Wagner 3 Venture, Inc., in both commercial and residential construction. Ken Wagner has built a synagogue and several churches in the Tri County region in recent years.
Tri County Baptist was started in 2002 with 11 charter members, who asked J. O. Purcell and his wife, Juanita, to help found another church as they had previously done in their 40 years of ministry together. The church’s current facilities are barely adequate for summer attendance, and multiple services are necessary in the winter months at the current location. Members have desired more space for a couple of years to permit a greater number and also a broader variety of ministry opportunities for their own congregation and to better serve the local community. In addition to numeric growth and a new building, Tri County Baptist has recently added Steve Poludniak to the staff as pastor to help manage the facility, ministry advancement, and administrative functions.
For more information on Tri County Baptist Church visit their Web site.
